Click on graph for larger image in new window. Total housing starts were at 546 thousand (SAAR) in July, up 1.7% from the revised June rate of 537 thousand (revised down from 549 thousand), and up 14% from the all time record low in April 2009 of 477 thousand…

By request, a graph of lumber prices … Click on graph for larger image in new window. From the NAHB , framing lumber prices have collapsed since the end of April. This graph shows two measures of lumber prices: 1) from Random Lengths (via NAHB), and 2) CME futures. With…

This morning the Census Bureau released the ” Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design ” report for Q1 2010. Click on graph for larger image in new window. The first graph shows the NSA quarterly starts intent for four categories since 1975: single family built for sale, owner…

Click on graph for larger image in new window. Total housing starts were at 626 thousand (SAAR) in March, up 1.6% from the revised February rate, and up 30% from the all time record low in April 2009 of 479 thousand (the lowest level since the Census Bureau began…

From RealtyTrac: Foreclosure Activity Increases 7 Percent in First Quarter RealtyTrac® … today released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report™ for Q1 2010, which shows that foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on 932,234 properties in the first quarter, a 7 percent increase from…

Click on graph for larger image in new window. A frequently asked question is how do new home sales compare to single family housing starts (both series from the Census Bureau). This graph shows the two series – although they track each other, the two series cannot be directly…

From Alana Semuels at the LA Times: More homeowners are opting for ‘strategic defaults’ Joseph Shull, a 68-year-old marketing professor, said he’s planning to walk away from the town house he bought in Moorpark in June 2006. “I’m angry, and there are a lot of people like me who are…

As mentioned in the Weekly Summary and a Look Ahead post, the NAHB Housing Market Index for March, and Housing Starts for February, will both be released early this week. Here is a graph showing the relationship between the two series: Click on graph for larger image in new window.…

This morning the Census Bureau has released the ” Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design ” report for Q4 2009. Monthly housing starts (even single family starts) cannot be compared directly to new home sales, because the monthly housing starts report from the Census Bureau includes apartments, owner…

From Treasury: Administration Releases January Loan Modification Report Click on graph for larger image in new window. Just over 116,000 modifications are now permanent. Here is the link at Treasury. See here for a list of reports . If there were 416,471 cumulative HAMP trial modifications in August – how…